MONTGOMERY – Parkway Christian reached the Class 1A Central Regional final for the third time in as many years. But for the second time in row, the Wildcats’ season ended at Alabama State’s Dunn-Oliver Acadome.

No. 2 St. Jude eliminated Parkway 55-46 Friday to earn a 10:30 a.m. Tuesday date against the winner of the Northeast Region at the BJCC Arena in the Final 48.

Parkway never got out of the blocks in the first quarter, falling behind 14-2.

“We came out a little flat,” 6-foot guard/forward Jordan Roethler said. “We didn’t have much rhythm. Shots weren’t falling. We dug ourselves a deep hole early in the first quarter.”

Parkway found some success in the second period as it turned to 6-2 center Jeremy Brown.

“We calmed down and started to get the ball inside more to Jeremy Brown,” Roethler said. “He lifted us up and did a huge job and we started to play well.”

The Wildcats trailed 21-14 at intermission and made a couple of runs in the second half.

“We had our chances,” coach Zane Arnold said. “We cut the lead to two one time and we cut it to three one time. Mistakes on our part cost us.”

The Pirates (24-4) pushed the lead back to 10 but the Wildcats charged back, again drawing close. But again, miscues were their undoing.

“We got it down to two or three but mistakes happened,” Arnold said. “An offensive rebound. A turnover. A bad possession. Missed layups. We kind of hurt ourselves.”

Roethler, one of eight Parkway seniors, said the Pirates played a big part in that.

“They had numerous players that had great on-ball defense,” he said. “There wasn’t just one. They had it across the board. They could stop anybody. That really slowed us down. They pressured us full court so it was difficult for us to get in our sets. Late in the third, they were just really active.”